Cooperation between Vietnam and Japan in recent years has been constantly expanding, especially in the fields of economy, education, culture and tourism.
In that context, creating more playgrounds for young people to learn about and spread cultural values between the two countries is considered one of the directions contributing to strengthening understanding and connection between the people of the two countries.
On the afternoon of March 12 in Hanoi, Saigontimes Travel organized a program to announce the "Vietnam - Japan Colors" contest with the theme "Two Colors - One Journey". The program is for students nationwide to encourage young people to learn about cultural values, and at the same time develop ideas to promote Japanese tourism through creative perspectives.
At the announcement program, Mr. Nguyen Bao Thach - Operations Director of Saigontimes Travel said that the contest aims to encourage students to learn about life, local identity and cultural exchange between Vietnam and Japan. From there, the teams can transform these insights into creative tourism ideas.
The contest is for students studying at universities and colleges nationwide. Contestants participate in groups of 3 to 5 members and go through three main rounds.
In the registration round, taking place from March 12 to March 30, 2026, contestants register to participate according to the instructions posted on the official fanpage of the contest.
The launch round with the theme of exploring regional colors takes place from April 1 to April 12, 2026. The teams learn and present the typical cultural elements of the localities, thereby exploiting cultural values and local life.
Next, in the challenge round from April 13 to April 19, 2026, the teams develop ideas and build tour products associated with the theme of the competition. The final round is expected to take place on April 25, 2026. Teams with good results will present their projects to the judging panel.
In parallel with the final round, the program is expected to organize a number of cultural experience activities for participants such as displaying regional images, introducing cuisine and handicrafts, cultural exchanges with traditional costume performances and musical instrument performances.
The judging panel of the contest includes representatives of Saigontimes Travel, universities and colleges training tourism in Vietnam, and some experts in the field of tourism.
The organizers said that the total prize value of the contest is more than 500 million VND. In which, the first prize is worth 20,000,000 VND, the second prize is 10,000,000,000 VND and the third prize is 5,000,000,000 VND. Two sub-prizes include the most favorite video and creative idea, each prize worth 3,000,000,000 VND.
In addition to the main prize system, 50 teams with high results will receive a Japanese travel voucher worth 2,000,000 VND for each member in the period from April to June 2026.
The organizers expect the "Vietnam - Japan Colors" contest to become an annual activity. The program is expected to contribute to promoting students' interest in cultural and international tourism exchanges, and at the same time create new ideas for the tourism sector in the future.
